New York, NY — A recent article in Episcopal Life Online describes the testimony given by Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the worldwide relief agency of the Episcopal Church, in a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health to mark Africa Malaria Day on April 25, 2007.

ERD representatives testified on the role of faith-based organizations in fighting the malaria pandemic in Africa through the NetsForLife program. NetsforLife capitalizes on the infrastructure of the Anglican Church to reach vulnerable populations. The program, which was begin in 2006, aims to distribute one million insecticide-treated malaria-prevention bed nets in 16 sub-Saharan African countries by the end of 2008. Thus far, the program has distributed 213,000 nets in Angola, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique.

In addition to The Starr Foundation, NetsforLife is funded by private individual donors, churches, the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, the ExxonMobil Foundation, and Standard Chartered Bank.